It’s working!
It’s working! This, this thing I’ve been trying to do. It’s working!
Let me explain (in two parts):
Earlier this week, I ran into an acquaintance at work. It was the morning, and things were quiet at the office, so we stopped for a quick hello. He mentioned seeing me at the craft fair last week.
“You looked so happy,” he said with a big smile. “I saw you and I thought, ‘now there is someone making something good of their life.’”
The comment made my heart skip a beat. I wonder if he heard the way my voice tightened when I thanked him.
And last week, when I was tabling at that very craft fair, one of my readers stopped by. I had no idea who she was, though I did recognize her name (she learned about my newsletter in an online community space we share). After brief introductions, we got to talking about the newsletter.
“I read your pieces and it’s like, is she in my head?” she said. “It’s like you’re able to put to words all the things I feel so articulately. I look forward to seeing that ‘good morning, friend’ every weekend.”I could have leapt across the table to hug her. That’s the point! I would have screamed. That’s exactly it!
Sometimes I feel a bit self-conscious about displaying the workings of my mind as if they’re art — as if they’re something of value. Sometimes I wonder if I’m making a difference, or if I’m just musing into the void.
But then…then I see how easily I smile these days. I feel the way creativity pours out of me like a wellspring. And I talk to you all, and you tell me about the ways in which what I do makes a difference.
So, I can’t refute it — it is my fundamental belief that the world is better with connection. Better with art. And my work is art. It creates connection.
Exactly one year ago, to the day, I was sobbing in a bathtub in a Kyoto Ryokan. I was burnt out, unhappy, and living a life that didn’t align with my values. So much can change in a year. So much can change when you decide to do the thing — the way I sat in this very coffee shop last summer and clicked the PUBLISH button on this website.
And so, my friend…I wrote this out for two reasons:
First, I wanted to celebrate my joy. I did the thing. And it’s working. And I wanted to take a moment to be grateful for that.
Second, I want to encourage you, empower you to do the thing. I don’t have some special secret of the universe that you don’t. I’m not somehow more deserving than you. Maybe it’s art, maybe it’s travel, maybe it’s reading smutty fairie books, or maybe it’s becoming an amateur movie critic. I don’t care. When you do what fills your soul, it lights you up; and when you emanate joy, the world becomes a brighter place.
If you don’t know where to start, reach out: lea@leamadethis.com. This isn’t a business ploy. I don’t want your money. But I do want to see the world a little brighter, and I’m willing to take the time to help make that happen.
What have you got to lose? Let’s see what we can make together ☀️.
